Sonic's Adventures in Wonderland

The Caucus Race

After kicking through the water for what felt like forever, Sonic had finally reached dry land. Relieved at the sight, he climbed atop the Drink Me bottle in a hurry. The soaked hedgehog leapt onto the white sand, saturating the ground with water. He shook himself like a wet dog in an attempt to dry off a bit, but his quills still felt damp.

"Ugh..." Sonic uttered as he squeezed water out his gloves. "Never thought I'd take a bath in my own tears!" He settled down on the beach, gazing out at the boundless ocean he'd created. Thinking about the events that played out back in the hallway made him cringe. "Definitely not one of my proudest moments..."

As he sat there, lost in thought, he suddenly felt a sharp object poke him in the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Crikey! Did you get washed up here, too?"

The voice sounded familiar... Sonic stood up and whipped his head around. His eyes went wide when he saw who had poked him. A raccoon who held a striking resemblance to Marine stood in front of him. However, instead of her usual outfit, she dawned a sea captain's uniform, complete with a sailor's hat. The raccoon gripped a wooden stick tightly in her hand. She eyed him up and down, raising an eyebrow.

"Marine? How did you get here!?" Sonic couldn't help but stare at her bug-eyed. The raccoon looked around, as if he might have been referring to someone else, then shrugged.

"Marine? I don't know a Marine, sorry! I'm the Dodo!" she pronounced with a confident smile. "I haven't seen you around these parts before. Did the flood bring you over?"

"The flood? Oh..." Sonic's voice trailed off as he glanced off to the side, a few sweat drops running down the side of his face.

The Dodo leaned closer to him, taking notice of his expression. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Say... you wouldn't happen to know where this flood came from, would you?" His resulting look of discomfort made the Dodo burst into laughter. "No drama! Just messing with you, mate'!" Sonic frowned, crossing his arms. He didn't find it nearly as amusing.

"You guys were also caught in the flood?" A voice chimed in from the other direction. A group of koalas (who looked nearly identical to the Coconut Crew) walked over to Sonic and the Dodo. "Us too!"

The blue hedgehog put a hand on his hip, observing the group. More familiar faces?

"Strewth! New folks just keep showing up, don't they?" The Dodo let out an annoyed huff. "Darn flood... you all alright?" The koalas nodded in response.

"We're all fine," one of the koalas (who happened to resemble Daikun) explained. "Right now, we're just trying to get dry!"

"Get dry, you say? Hmm..." The raccoon closed her eyes for a moment, pondering to herself, before leaping in excitement. "I've got it! We'll have a caucus race!"

Sonic's ears perked up at this, taking immediate interest. "A race? Count me in!" He flashed a confident grin - he wasn't saying no to a race. The others also agreed with the announcement.

"Then it's settled! We'll begin the race over there!" The Dodo pointed to a tree not far off from the beach. She and the koalas hurried over, eager to get started. The sand soon became green grass the further they got from the shore.

"Hold on," Sonic questioned as he jogged towards the tree. "What's a caucus race?"

"The best way to explain it is to do it!" The Dodo responded. She got into a running stance, preparing for the race. The koalas followed suit.

Sonic shrugged in response. "Well, can't argue with that!" He stretched out before joining them.

There was no ready, set, go to begin the race; The Dodo and the others took off running when they felt like it. Some would take quick breaks before jumping right back in.

Sonic ran at a casual pace to start out, quickly picking up speed. Soon he was dashing circles around everyone! A strong gust of wind formed the process. In a matter of seconds, everyone was dried off, including himself - he was definitely showing off a bit. After a while, Sonic skidded to a stop in the grass. He rubbed a finger under his nose, a cheeky grin on his face. "Heh, that was fun! Do I win?"

"Nope!" The Dodo shook her head. "There aren't any winners or losers in a caucus race!"

Sonic glanced over to her and frowned. "Huh... not really much of a race, then..." He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. "Maybe call it something else?"

"Who's going to give out prizes?" One of the koalas (who resembled Colonel) spoke up, eagerness in his voice. This got the other koalas talking, curious as to who the prize giver would be,

"Why, he will, of course!" The Dodo pointed to Sonic confidently. Everyone turned to look at him.

The hedgehog's eyes widened. "W-what!?" He stammered, completely caught off guard. "Wait! I don't have any prizes!"

The Dodo and the others began to crowd around him, chanting for prizes. As he nervously backed away, he heard a familiar voice from nearby.

"Oh dear oh dear! I'm so late!" Sonic's ear twitched at the sound. He turned his head - it was Rabbit Tails! The yellow rabbit could be seen running towards a quaint looking house in the distance. He suddenly remembered the reason why he came down here in the first place.

"Uh, thanks for the race, but I gotta go!" Sonic did a quick wave to the Dodo and the others before speeding off towards his friend. Hopefully this time he could find out what's going on. "Hey, Tails! Wait up!"